26 June

Pakistan's aviation minister says about a third of the country's airline pilots may not have legitimate licenses, meaning they are not qualified to fly.

Ghulam Sarwar Khan made disclosure on Wednesday while announcing the preliminary findings of probes of a plane crash in May and pilots' qualifications.

The Pakistani government launched an inquiry following the crash of a Pakistan International Airlines flight in the southern city of Karachi. Ninety-seven people were killed.

The pilot and co-pilots of the plane are accused of having been preoccupied with having a conversation.

Khan said 262 out of 860 pilots in Pakistan are suspected of holding fake licenses.

Local media reports say cheating was rampant, such as having others sit exams in place of the candidate pilots.

A Pakistan International Airlines spokesperson told NHK on Thursday that about 150 people, or roughly a third of its pilots, may have obtained their licenses wrongfully.

The Pakistani government plans to carry out further investigations to identify pilots involved in misconduct.

nhk